SnowBirds

Wow 2012 is almost over and what a crazy year it has been! I can not believe all that was packed into the year 2012.  I'm glad it is over. While it had a lot of positive happenings, it sure had a lot of negatives too. Somehow we got through them.
We finally settled into our new home. We did a ton of work to it. This year I want to take a break from the house and do something different. I'm not sure what yet.
I've been pondering different things, like doing some volunteer work. In general doing more things that get me out of the house.
The usual resolution like eating better is top on the list. The easiest thing I will be doing is cutting out margarine. No more fake butter. It's nothing but the real stuff for me from now on.
As always I want to spend more time developing my art. Speaking of my art I got inspired yesterday and created this little piece..."Snowbirds". I got inspired from a piece of tissue paper from one of my Christmas gifts. Funny how this happens. The background is made from this pretty turquoise tissue paper and matching tissue paper with white snowflakes. It was too pretty to throw away. I never throw out tissue paper anyway. I reuse it. I'm so frugal like that. The pretty stuff goes in my art supply stash.

I'm very excited about the new year. I look forward to what it might bring. I wish peace and love to all and may 2013 be the best year ever.

♥

It's looking a lot like Christmas

Lights are up, Christmas tree is decorated, presents are wrapped and I even did a few Christmas decorating projects. I did the faux mercury glass on these wine glasses and Christmas ball ornaments. I love the look of hanging ornaments from the chandelier. I can see doing this every year and adding more and more. 

I had to revisit how to take photos of Christmas lights. Not too bad for not using a tripod. I can't stand to  drag that thing out. If I can't get a good shot without it, I just as soon not take them. Too much trouble and I cant get a good angle anyway.

Not much left to do but clean and cook, maybe add more lights to the front of the house. I've got a lot of lights that I could hang but I keep thinking of all this stuff I have to take down when it's all over. 

Do I really want to add more at this point?? Sigh! 

♥

Little Boy Super Hero

Her is my latest painting which is a Christmas gift for my little nephew. 

His sister got a painting from me last year. I did not think he actually wanted one but he asked me if I would paint him one too., so of course I did. And here he is! Ta Da!  A little super hero for the rough and tough little boy. Hope he likes it. 

20 days until Christmas

& 

15 days until doomsday! 

Snicker,Snicker,  cant' believe all the doomsday stuff that is on TV.

Vintage Reindeer

What a delightful surprise! Here is a sweet little reindeer that I got from my moms Christmas decorations collection. My mom kept everything. I guess I'm glad. Now I get to enjoy it. I don't know how old it is but it's got to be from at least the 60's, maybe older.

Hope you all are having fun this lovely December getting ready for Christmas. 

♥

Giving Thanks

I'm thankful for so, many, many blessings this year.
To name a few I'm thankful for our new home, good health, and family and friends.  I'm also thankful for the wonderful food I will be cooking today and tomorrow for our Thanksgiving Feast.

So today I want to share one of my favorite recipes that has been in my family for years. The Holiday Cranberry Salad.  I usually make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. It is a great alternative to plopping out a can of cranberry sauce.

Holiday Cranberry Salad

1 13 oz can crushed pineapple (short can) 

1 lb. can whole berry cranberry sauce 

1 sm box Raspberry or cherry jello

12 oz cool whip

8 oz. cream cheese softened

3/4 cup chopped pecans toasted in about 2 tbls. butter.

1/2 cup sprite or 7 up

First of all drain and reserve the liquid from the crushed pineapples. I could not find the small can of crushed pineapples so I got way more liquid then I needed. I bought the 20 oz can and used about 3/4 of the pineapples. 

Save 1/2 cup pineapple liquid to a cup and then add 1/2 cup sprite or 7 up to that to make 1 cup liquid.

Now make the jello with 1 cup boiling water. Stir jello and boiling water in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish for about 2 minutes. Then add the one cup mixture of 7 up/ pineapple liquid to the jello. Put in refrigerator to set the jello for about an hour. ( just until set)

Mix the cranberries and pineapples together and set aside.

Toast the butter and pecan pieces over medium heat and set aside to cool.

I usually just saute the butter and pecans in a pan 3 to 5 minutes instead of toasting in oven.

Once the jello has set you can either gently mix the fruit in the jello or layer on top of the jello.
Then put this jello mixture back in the refrigerator again to completely set.

Meanwhile mix with hand mixer the cool whip and softened cream cheese. Cream cheese really needs to be soft, at room temperature so that it will mix well into the cool whip.

Spread the cool whip/cream cheese mixture over the Jello/ fruit and sprinkle toasted pecans on top of all.
Keep cold in the refrigerator.
It's delicious! And great as a dessert too.
Best part you can make it the day before.

Front Door Halloween Decorations

Jack Skellington

Here are my outside decorations for Halloween.  I love my Jack Skellington carved pumpkin and I had fun painting the black stripes on the other two pumpkins.
Above the door is a Boo Banner which I made from orange burlap. All it is, is stenciled letters on the cut out triangles, then sew the triangles onto jute twine. There is black guaze hung to cover the huge window above the door, orange lights and black garland over that.
I went down into the wooded area of our property and found a dead branch for the spooky tree. I painted it black and hung purple skulls and purple lights. I found a cute wire lighted scary Halloween cat at "Big Lots". Love, Love, Love "Big Lots" for decorations. I bought a black wreath pre made because I ran out of steam and just did not feel like making a wreath.
This is all I did for the outside, unlike a lot of my neighbors who went crazy with orange lights on trees bushes and animated scary figures. That's fine and it looks good, but I like to be a little more creative. I know I have a lot of store bought stuff as well but to me making and creating is most of the fun.

Chicago

I'm so glad I went to Chicago this past week. It's a beautiful city. I had so much fun with my girlfriend. Neither of us had ever been there before. We decided to take a mini vacation, a much need vacation together. We are checking off our bucket list one city at a time. What an awesome town to visit. I love architecture... as one can see by the photos. As always I took way too many pictures....close to 200 photos,  I'd love to share them all but that would be ridiculous.
We chose this place because our husbands have been there numerous times without us. They both raved about it and said we needed to go. I can see why they like it so much. It's really more of a guy town, lots of sports, dark woody sports bars and it's cold. But the magnificent mile is a definite girl nirvana. Oh my... we had a ball shopping. We stayed right in the middle of it. We were in heaven. We did do some other cultural things, like the museums and so on, but the shopping was the best.
Now with all this said both of us agree we still like New York better. I'm sorry Chicago, but I think it's because New York is more girly. But that does not mean I wont want to come back, most likely with my hubby next time.

♥

hALLoWeeN wItChY cHiCkS

Witchy Chicks

 I don't know what it is about Halloween that inspires me to draw, but it does. Maybe it's the silly spiders hanging from their hats, or the whimsical color combinations, or probably the stripes and polka dots. But anyhoo I needed some art therapy. It's from my art journal and it's plain funness. I love it. I've been kinda of weird these past few days. I'm letting things bother me that I shouldn't. I hate when I let these things get under my skin. A little hurt or slight that I let fester too long. Then it takes me too much time to it let go. Art makes me feel better. I'm so inspired again that I think I'd like to take another workshop. Yea!!! 

♥♥♥♥

Halloween Decorations

Halloween is coming. I know I'm early with the decorating, but you gotta buy early or everything is picked over. I had to go through my old decorations to see what I needed. The stuff was all over my house, so why not decorate. You will be happy to know I have not decorated my front door or outside yet. That can wait. 

I have to give a status update on my hubby. He had a pet scan a couple of weeks ago and everything is clear, so no cancer for now. I'm so happy. He will get a pet scan every six months, I guess for the rest of his life. We can rest easy now and pray it does not come back. Hopefully the treatments he took got rid of it all for good. I hate cancer. It hangs over your head even if it is gone. There is always the fear of it coming back. Having gone through this for the second time is so sobering. The first time he got it, he had the surgery. We thought it was gone for good. Now that it came back 2 1/2 years later even though they say it's all gone does not mean the same thing. I can not imagine how I would be acting if it was me. It's hard enough that it's my husband. But enough of this sad stuff. I'm just happy for now. I'm so glad the weather has changed. The holiday season has begun and I have a new house to decorate. Life is good. 

Happy October!

♥

Dress Art Mixed Media

 "Emma"

 "Isabelle"

"Audrey"

These are some of the paintings I made to put in my friends cafe. 

Faux Mercury Glass Look

Here are more bottles using the Krylon Looking Glass Mirror Like Paint. This time with a can bought at Hobby Lobby not from the clearance section at Michaels. And all I have to say is OMG! What a difference! It sprayed like a dream. No clogging! My previous post was about my first attempt using this product but with a defective can of paint. I did not know this at the time. That's what I get for using something from the clearance section. :(
This time I had to distress them by using a mixture of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water. I did not have to do this before because the paint came out all distressed to begin with. I used the Stayzon ink like before and really like the effect. So happy with the results I want to spray everything.

♥

Halloween Wine Bottle Tutorial Faux Mercury Glass Witches Potions

Today I'm doing a fun Halloween craft. I love to decorate for Halloween. I'm so excited this year and can't wait to have a party. I've been on pinterest looking for ideas and this tutorial was perfect. 

~~~The Faux Mercury Glass Look~~~

Start by saving bottles of all sizes. I only have wine bottles at this time. lol! 

I'm using a product by Krylon called "Looking Glass Mirror like Paint"  to get a tarnished mercury glass look.

I have to say I'm a little mixed about this product. The product needs to improve. I'm not sure if I can totally recommend it. 

I was told to get it at Michaels. The first Michaels I went to was out and they said it was discontinued.

I went to another Michaels and found the last one in the clearance section. I got the can for $1.87.

I'm glad I did not pay more for it. ( At Hobby Lobby they run for $11.00)

It was not easy to work. The nozzle kept clogging up! I had to clean it after spraying for only a few seconds each time. The instructions say to spray multiple layers. I guess because it's very runny.  I had to constantly turn the bottle as I sprayed so it would not run off. 

On the neck top part of the bottle the product would not stick at all so it was left clear. Needless to say I was not impressed. And there is paint in the can that I can not get out. 

With all this said and at the end of the day, I felt not all was lost. They really did not look bad and I started to like them more and more. That was when I had a brain storm and decided to use "StazOn Ink in the Timber Brown" to add another dimension and cover where this paint missed.

So I think they turned out really good. 

You can see in this picture where I rubbed the ink pad. I dabbed the neck area and rolled the bottom of the bottle on the pad itself.

 On pinterest I found this great site for these wonderful witches potions labels.

Click here to get these labels

Fantasy Jr.

I like the Harry Potter labels.

One other tip is to make sure you use clear bottles with this spay paint. These were clear and not the amber or green ones. I'm not sure how the paint would work on colored glass. 

For the colored glass wine bottles I'm going to spray paint them solid black. 

In conclusion I really like this look and will probably bite the bullet and buy another can at Hobby Lobby with a 40 off coupon. I hope the can I used was old or something like that. 

Once I figured out how to roll the bottle as I was spraying it worked better. I just do not like the fact that it clogged up so quickly. 

Enjoy!

♥

My Art

This is what I've been working on. I love them all and will have a hard time parting with them. (Oh well that's the way it goes.) I want them hanging and ready to sell in my friends cafe by Labor day weekend which is also market days in old town Helotes.
My husband said I should list them in my Etsy shop as well as selling in M's cafe but I think that would be playing with fire. I can image the same one selling at both places and then I'd be screwed. But that's me the worrier.
I can not believe it's Labor Day already. Where did my summer go? I have only one more day to wear white. I think that's a stupid rule especially for the south. It's so hot and will be until the end of September and probably well into October. Summer really does not end until the 21st of September anyway.
Hope you all had a great summer..... I'm ready for fall.


                                                                                 ♥

mY mEssY dEsK

Messy desk means creativity is flourishing! I have not been posting much because I've been working, creating, painting, basically having fun in my studio.
My hubby has been traveling a lot. He's been catching up on travel since he was off work most of May and part of June. He is in New York City this week. I'm so jealous. Wish I could have gone with him but not a good time to take wifey on business trip. Oh well. It gives me a chance to work non stop, all day or all night. Whatever my muse decides.
So here is a sneak peek...
I've made five mixed media paintings so far....I'll show them eventually. They are going into my friends new cafe. She wants to hang my art in her restaurant. I'm so excited! So obviously I wont be listing them in my Etsy shop.
I have decided I really don't care if I sell my art. I love making it. I get so attached to each piece it's really hard to give up. This year I stopped selling my art on Etsy and hung up all my pieces in my house. Now I'll decorate my friends cafe. As long as I'm inspired and having fun making things, I'll continue on.

My Summer so far

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted something here. I guess my summer has been busier than I thought. We did not have a vacation planned for this summer but we did manage to take a few day trips and a couple of overnight trips. 

One overnight trip was to our capital city Austin to see the capitol. It's been years since we visited.

It's such a lovely building and I love downtown Austin. 

We also did a little bit of antiquing. Austin has a few weird places to visit. You know the saying "Keep Austin Weird".

Uncommon Objects is a fun, fun antique store on South Congress. All of South Congress is neat. There are a butt load of vintage clothing stores there too. Now I know where to go if I need a Mad Men style 60's dress. I wish I had a reason to buy one. Maybe for Halloween??? I'll be back Austin.

We also went to a few winery's and visited Wimberley Texas. I did not take any pictures of either place, but here is a fat cat that lives at one of winery's. Isn't she sweet?? I sure miss my cat. 

Mamma Kitty

My niece had her wedding reception this weekend near Houston. What a great time for all of us!

I danced my little patootie off. 

This is a video of one of the line dances. 

"Copperhead Road"

I love our family weddings: dinner...dancing all night long and of course lots of drinking. It's what I call a good ole Texas Czech wedding. We evan did our bohemian grand march at the beginning. 

Sorry it's so dark and small but the video was shot with my I phone. Oh well...I think you get the idea.

Hope your summer is going well.

Have fun!

C

Memories from the 60's

Sharing an oldie. I remember this song from my childhood. They played it on Mad Men when Don got dumped by his wife.... I have to say he deserved it.  I love that show. It brings back all kinds of memories. I was only six in 1963 but a lot happened that year that I remember.

♥

Deck Project

It's almost finished. All we have to do is stain the closed in part that is the storage unit. I'm really happy with it. The concrete is a little weird, but really not that big a deal. It's a little too slopped for my liking. But who am I to say. I'm not an engineer. They said it needs to be slopped for drainage.
It rained this morning which is great, so have to wait for it to dry before I can do more staining.
That means working in the studio making artsy crafty things. That will be fun.

I listed these cute little quilted patchwork wall hangings Friday. Check them out. I think they are neat.

Escape

Click the link below each photo and it will take you to each listing in my shop.

Cherish

Free

♥

Sister Day

My sisters and I get together once a month to have a fun day, sisters day. We have been doing this since my mom passed away so we can stay in touch. We usually go shopping, have lunch, site see, etc. Yesterday we went to the K. Spoetzl Brewery which is the oldest brewery in Texas. It is in a town about 8 miles from where I grew up and where my sisters live. 

The Spoetzl brewery brews Shiner beers. A very famous beer named after the little town it's located in. I can't believe this little brewery continues to make every drop of Shiner beer right here in Shiner Texas.

Shiner is a cute little Texas town but I'm prejudice because I'm from Yoakum which is just a few miles away.  This area of Texas will always be close to my heart. 

Shopping on the main street in Shiner Texas.

Who doesn't love to shop a little, and drink a little. 

♥

Project Deck Continued

Our deck project is still going full force. I'm so happy that the concrete was put in a lot sooner then expected. Yea!!!! 

Next on the list is to get the deck man back over to finish the skirting, which includes the storage unit.

I love the stain on the concrete. It really turned out nice. A lot nicer then when I tried it at my old house. 

There are so many decisions. I really don't want the deck builder to close in too much because we would like to utilize the bottom part for seating and entertaining. My fear is we will cut off the breeze. I don't like the look of the metal post and I dont' want to paint them either.  I"ll figure something out.

♥